Could I buy a wideband O2 sensor (Bosch LSU4.2) and hook it up to my A/F gauge and make it work. I want a wideband before I bother to hook it up. Considering the LC-1 or LM-1, but looking for a cheap option for now so that the gauge will work accurately.
No it will not. The gauges in question are narrow band 0 to 1 V while the range of the sensor is considerably larger. Wideband 02 sensors must be fed power. Power that you will not get without the associated head unit (LM-1 for instance). Wideband sensors also require preheating. That's another function of the head unit. The quality of the heat unit also varies from product to product. They are matched to the specific sensor that they use. the sensors themselves are not perfect. Calibrations vary from sensor to sensor even if they are the exact same brand. Another function of the head unit is to determine the available range of the sensor connectred to it and calibrate itself to THAT particular sensor. The sensors also deteriorate over time and the head unit must be capable of re-calibrating itself to those sensor changes in order to remain accurate.
None of these functions can be performed by a regular ole AFR gauge.
So in order to make my Autometer AFR gauge as accurate as possible the LC-1 would be my best option. As I mentioned on my other thread I have a laptop so I don't think I need the LM-1. Would my Gauge then be mostly accurate to the eye. I am sure that the dataloging would be much better. I am just looking for it to be a reference.
Yes... your gauge will be deadly accurate. Botht eh LM-1 and LC-1 convert the wideband signal to a narrow one to feed those AFR gauges. They're also customizable through the software in the event that the gauge you have is a little "off". You can adjust the output tothe gauge so it reads correctly with the display on either your laptop (for the LC-1) or the display on the LM-1.